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Christmas isn’t Christmas without cookies, and these Vegan Gingerbread Cookies are sure to get you into the holiday spirit. They’re full of spice and everything nice: coconut oil, molasses, and even apple cider.
When I was little my dad would take me to a kid’s Christmas market every year. To me, it was pure magic. Under the twinkling lights we’d assemble and decorate Gingerbread houses, and take home loads of holiday goodies. Whenever I see a Gingerbread Man I think of those daddy daughter trips, and for that reason these have always been my favorite seasonal cookies.
These vegan Gingerbread cookies are great for making and enjoying with the people you love the most. I hope you have a wonderful holiday!!
Making Christmas cookies, whether it be gingerbread, sugar, or your other favorite recipe, is a really magical activity to do with your family. It is especially fun if you have little ones! You can make homemade frosting to decorate them, and use a variety of sprinkles or other small foods, too.
Another fun thing you can do with this gingerbread cookies recipe is to make a gingerbread house! Just form the rough shapes into the dough, and trim them while they are still warm and assemble and decorate your house.
Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp coconut oil, hard firm, but not hard or vegan butter
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup apple cider or plain soy milk
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp soy milk, or other non-dairy milk
- 1 tsp vegan butter or coconut oil, softened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. You may have to bake the cookies in batches if you cannot fit them all onto the baking sheets you have.
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk well to combine.
- Place the coconut oil into a standing mixer, and beat until fluffy.
- Pour in the white and brown sugar, and continue to beat until it is all combined.
- Add the molasses into the coconut mixture, then after a few whisks slowly add the apple cider. At this point if you are using cold cider you will see the texture of the wet ingredients change. That’s totally fine.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, and stir. For this you can use a wooden spoon or change the paddle on your mixer.
- Once combined, remove the dough and form it into a 1-inch thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and place it in the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes.
- While it is setting make your icing (recipe below).
- Allow the dough to soften on the counter for at least 10 minutes before rolling it out.
- Flour a clean workspace and rolling pin and roll the dough to about 1/4-inch.
- Use gingerbread man cooke cutter shapes to cut the dough, and place the cookies onto the lined baking sheet. The cookies should be at least 1 inch away from each other on the sheet.
- Continue with the rest of the dough.
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes.
- Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once they are completely cool ice the cookies. The icing will harden after about 20 minutes, then they can be stacked if necessary.
- I enjoy my Gingerbread Men with a foamy soy cappuccino or strong black tea. They’re also delicious with a cup of homemade nut milk or turmeric latte.
Icing Instructions
- Mix the ingredients until creamy. Add more sugar if it seems too thin, or add more non-dairy milk if it seems too thick.
I just made these Vegan Gingerbread Cookies-a must for everyone loving gingerbread! My home smells glorious!
I did make it a tad bit healthier by substituting date sugar for the white sugar and Swerve for the Brown Sugar equivalent measurements. I didn’t even first them-and they are a hit! Easy to freeze too. They are just marvelous! I will make again. Thanks!
I loved gingerbread cookies, My friends will definitely like it too.
– Gustavo Woltmann
Fabulous!! Thanks, Gustavo 🙂